Rate My Professor Sue Tsai

Sue Tsai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, at the University of Alberta. She leads the Tsai Research Group, conducting research at the intersection of immunology and metabolic diseases, including type 1 diabetes and insulin resistance. A primary focus of her work examines how maternal health influences offspring resilience to immune-mediated diseases through mucosal humoral immunity and breastfeeding impacts. Another key pillar investigates how metabolic dysregulation affects protective immunity in contexts such as vaccination, infection, and cancer immunotherapy. Her research interests encompass adaptive immunity, immunometabolism, mechanoimmunology, and the regulation of immune responses linked to metabolism in chronic diseases like type 1 diabetes.

Dr. Tsai's laboratory utilizes genetic and animal models to explore immune cell metabolic reprogramming and develop strategies to blunt autoimmunity and enhance immune function. She was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta in 2019 and promoted to Associate Professor. She holds a renewed Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Immune-Metabolic Interface in Health and Disease. Notable publications include "Gut-associated IgA⁺ immune cells regulate obesity-related insulin resistance" (Nature Communications, 2019), "Mechanical Stiffness Controls Dendritic Cell Metabolism and Function" (Cell Reports, 2021), "Insulin Receptor-Mediated Stimulation Boosts T Cell Immunity during Inflammation and Infection" (Cell Metabolism, 2018), "Type I interferon responses drive intrahepatic T cells to promote metabolic syndrome" (Science Immunology, 2017), "The art of war: burning stores to fuel anti-viral immunity" (Nature Metabolism, 2025), and "Expanding antigen-specific regulatory networks to treat autoimmunity" (Nature, 2016). Her contributions have advanced knowledge of immune-metabolic interactions, influencing therapeutic development for metabolic and immune disorders. She has received funding to study obesity-insulin resistance links to COVID-19 immunity and diet effects on immunity.